Mississippi armed robbery suspects are also Georgia murder suspects

A man and a woman who are suspects in the armed robbery of a McDonald's restaurant in Brandon and a police chase in Warren County are also wanted in Georgia for murder, according to a news release from the Brandon Police Department.

Jaylen Benton(Photo: Brandon Police Dept.)

Jaylen Benton, 18, and Sharae Threadgill, 21, are being held in the Warren County Jail on a variety of charges, Brandon Police Chief William Thompson said in the release.

Authorities learned that Benton and Threadgill are also wanted for murder in Georgia. Phillip Whitaker was found shot to death in the passenger seat of a pickup truck in Columbus, Ga. Sunday morning, WTVM reported. They are also suspects in robberies in Meridian and Demopolis, Alabama.

Brandon police received a 911 call Monday at 9:33 p.m. about an armed robbery at the McDonald's on Crossgates Boulevard near Interstate 20. Witnesses told officers that the suspects were riding in a gold sedan and one of the suspects crawled in the drive-thru window carrying two handguns. The suspects took a small amount of cash from one of the registers and fled.

Sharae Threadgill(Photo: Columbus,Ga. Police Dept.)

During the armed robbery investigation, Brandon police learned that Warren County authorities were chasing a vehicle with two suspects.

The Warren County Sheriff's Office had received a bulletin that the armed robbery suspects may be headed their way, Sheriff Martin Pace said at a Tuesday afternoon news conference. A deputy set up an observation point on I-20 and after spotting the suspects' vehicle attempted to stop them. The suspects pulled into a convenience store parking lot and ran. One suspect fired at the deputy, Pace said. The deputy did not return fire because of bystanders, Pace added. The deputy returned to his vehicle and as he approached the business next door he learned from witnesses that the suspects had carjacked a white Chevrolet Tahoe with two females inside.

The deputy who had been joined by additional law enforcement vehicles caught up to the SUV and at some point another shot was fired by the suspects, Pace said. During the chase, the hostages were able to jump from the vehicle. The suspects continued to flee officers from multiple agencies but the SUV began to slow down and came to a stop. The suspects were taken into custody without incident. Pace said they learned later that the carjacked SUV had run out of gas.

Pace said the hostage who was driving made a "life-saving decision" when she chose to stop and jump from the vehicle. The two female hostages suffered minor injuries, Pace told media. There were no other reports of injuries.

Brandon police placed a hold on the suspects and charged them with armed robbery. Bond will be set at their initial appearance, the news release said.